September is...

CESAR CHAVEZ

National Honey Month, Piano Month, Classical Music Month, Fall Hat Month, Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15th thru October 15th), Subliminal Marketing Month, Chicken Month, Back to School, Autumn Fun Month, Little League Month, and Kids Good Manners Month.

Wow! Lots of things to celebrate during the month of September, in addition to going back to school! Did you know the library has books about all of these things? Wouldn't it be wonderful to learn how honey is made? It's always funny to think about bees being cultivated to make honey we eat on our toast. We have books that tell all about honey and bees, and even picture books with stories about bees. How about learning to play the piano? You might be able to put playing the piano to good use some day to entertain others, or to even make some money. Find piano history and piano music books with full instructions for beginners at your local library. Another way to make money is to use business skills for marketing or use marketing in the business world. In the children's department of every library in Long Beach, there are books about making money, selling things, and starting a business. Little League Baseball is fun to watch or even play. There are books about baseball, the all-American pastime, at all our libraries. There are books which show you how to be a better player and books about famous baseball players. Kids with good manners please their parents, and the rest of society. The library has funny stories about children with bad manners, and when we read about these characters, we understand how important it is to be kind and polite to others.

I think many of us would benefit from learning about our own or others' Hispanic Heritage and the struggle many have gone through or are still experiencing to fight for Hispanic rights. We could also enjoy learning about Hispanic Culture. Find books at Long Beach Public Library about important people of Hispanic backgrounds who've benefited out society, as well as books about Hispanic culture and rights.

Wouldn't you like to check out books on these above topics to impress your friends, relatives, and compatriots with your knowledge? Your friendly librarian can help you find books on these and other topics whenever you come into the library. Learning new things makes for a more knowledgable community in Long Beach and beyond. Have a good end to your month, and get ready for September!!!

Close of Summer Reading Club - August 15th

Well, we sure did have a lot of fun this summer by "getting creative" with the fabulous summer reading club at Long Beach Public Library. The last day to receive wonderful book prizes is today, August 15th. A big huge thank you goes out to the Molina Foundation for providing us with a great variety of books for all our participants. Also, thank you to all the great performers who entertained our kids this summer! Great job everyone for keeping up with reading throughout the summer! Your teachers will be impressed when you return to school this fall. Thanks, again!

Tiny Tot and Toddler Storytime Favorites

Every Tiny Tot and Toddler Time each week, we open with the same song and fingerplay, and we close with the same song each week as well.

Here's a taste:

Opening:

The more we get together, together, together,

The more we get together, the happier we'll be!

'Cause your friends are my friends and my friends

are your friends,

The more we get together, the happier we'll be!

Open, shut them. Open, shut them.

Give a little clap, clap, clap!

Open, shut them. Open, shut them.

Put them in your lap, lap, lap.

Creep them, creep them, slowly creep them,

Right up to your chin, chin, chin.

Open wide, your little mouth...

But do not let them in!!

Open, shut them. Open, shut them.

Give a little clap, clap, clap!

Open, shut them. Open, shut them.

Put them in your lap, lap, lap!

Closing:

If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands!

If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands!

If you're happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it!

If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands!

...If you're happy and you know it, stomp your feet!

...If you're happy and you know it, shout hooray!

What can you do with a box?

Enjoy books having to do with boxes :-)!

Not a Box – Antoinette Portis
To an imaginative bunny, a box is not just a box.

Sitting In My Box – Dee Lillegard
The box in which all the animals are sitting gets more and more crowded until a hungry flea comes along. This is a fun story to act out by sitting in a box and adding your own mix of stuffed animals or puppets.

A Mighty Fine Time Machine – Suzanne Bloom
An aardvark, an anteater, and an armadillo attempt to travel back in time when they turn a big box into a time machine.

Thank you, Bear – Greg Foley
Despite being criticized by others, Bear knows he has found the perfect gift for Mouse.

Roxaboxen – Alice McLerran
A hill covered with wooden boxes becomes an imaginary town for Marian and her friends.

My Book Box – Will Hillenbrand
A determined elephant creates his own book box and discovers all the magic and fun of books and reading. Decorate your own book box with stickers and wrapping paper.

Harry’s Box – Angela McAllister
A young boy and his dog spend an exciting afternoon with a box pretending that it is a pirate ship among other things.

Boxy fun – use leftover gift boxes or larger boxes to play in, decorate, and hide surprises in.